A shock to his fans, the former champion of AFP World Tour Finals Andy Murray has withdrawn at the last minute from the Brisbane International on Tuesday.
The statement casting doubt over his Australian Open participation, and it is now seems unlikely.
His latest Instagram revealed the effects of the stubborn hip injury with words such as "demoralizing", "hurting inside".
“I’ve obviously been going through a really difficult period with my hip for a long time, and have sought counsel from a number of hip specialist,"Murray said. "Having been recommended to treat my hip conservatively since the US Open, I have done everything asked of me from a rehab perspective and worked extremely hard to try to get back on the court competing.”
The 30-year-old tennis player returned from back surgery in 2016 to win a third grand slam title and a second Olympic gold medal. “I genuinely miss it so much and I would give anything to be back out there," the tennis star said.
"I didn’t realize until these last few months just how much I love this game. Every time I wake up from sleeping or napping, I hope that it’s better, and it’s quite demoralizing when you get on the court it’s not at the level you need it to be to compete at this level," Murray added.